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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. WHITAKER.

SELF ACTING E XGAVATOR 0R SKEP. No. 305,493. I Patented Sept. 23.1884.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. WHITAKER.

SELF ACTING EXOAVATOR 0R SKEP. No. 305,493." Patented Sept. 23,1884.

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THOMAS \VHITAKER, OF HORSFORTH, COUNTY OF YORK, ENGLAND.

SELF-ACTING EXCAVATOR AND SKEP.

QPECIFICAI'ION forming part of Letters Patent No. 305,493, dated September 23, 1884.

Application filed December 1!, 1883. (No model.) Patented in England February 12, 1883, No. 776.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, THOMAS WHITAKER, a citizen of Great Britain, and a resident of Horsforth, in the county of York, in that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Acting Excavators and Skeps, and in the Apparatus connected therewith, and that the same has not been patented to me or to others with my knowledge or consent except in the following country, to wit: Great Britain, by Letters Patent No. 776, dated February 12, 1883; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains or with which it is most nearly connected to make, use, and put the same into practice, reference being had to the sheets of drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which correspond with those used in this specification, like letters and figures being used to denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the various views and figures.

My invention has for its object to so constru ct selfacting excavators or skeps and their accessories that they can be worked by a sin gle chain, and can be discharged when sus pended in the air; and it consists in the'combination of certain mechanical devices arranged to coact with reference to each other to produce the result above specified, the points of novelty being designated in the claims concluding this specification.

In the working of self-acting excavatois or skeps previous to my invention it has been the usual practice to use two chains-one for closing or lifting the excavator or skep, and the other for opening discharging, and lowering. It has also been proposed to lift and lower the excavator or skep byasingle chain, the discharging of the bucket being either effected by a fixed suspending and discharging frame or mechanism, or by a trigger or like mechanism on the skep frame-work. In each of these cases a secondary rope or light chain is used in the first case to release the open skep from the discharging-frame, and in the second case to operate a trigger mechanism which allows the bucket to open and discharge end elevation of Fig. 1, with the upper part of the jib broken away. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged views of the operating mechanism for working the opening and closing of the skep.

In the drawings, A is the jib, B the rod, and O the hoisting-chain, of the crane. D is an excavator, with its jaws, barrels, shafts, and usual attachments.

opening mechanism of the skep, I use a novel device consisting of the rod E, having a conical catch-head, F, the rod E being attached to the opening slide-bar G of the skep. The rod E is also provided with wings E E, and the opening slide-bar G is provided with an ad justable stud, Q, on the head of which rests the rod E. The rod E has a slot which allows it to move on the bolt which keeps the rod E to the slide-bar G. The frame of the skep is provided with the catches H H, which engage with the opening-bar G. The catches II have weighted levers P P, which act to superpoise and disengage the catches H H.

I is a discharging device, which is suspended from the jibhead by the chains J. These chains J pass over sheaves, and are carried down to a barrel, K, on the jib. The deviceI is provided with tumblers L L. which are superpoised by the weight N. The skep on being hauled up causes the catch-head F to open and pass through the tumblers L L, andthen engage with them on the skep being lowered. The crane-chain G is attached to the barrel of the excavator D in the usual way. This barrel when hauled upon closes the jawsof the excavator, and when'closed the skep is lifted by the said chain 0.

In operation, presuming the skep to have discharged its contents,and being in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the rod E and Todischarge the skep by suspending the catch-head F held up by the catches H H, to lower the skep for another fill, the skep D, with the catch-head F, is slightly raised by the chain 0, thus allowing the weightN to-throw up the tumblers L L. The skep D, with the catchhead F, is then lowered, the catch-head F passing down through the thrown-up tumblers L and ring N, the skep D being kept open by the catches H. In this open position the skep is lowered onto the material to he grabbed. By the skep resting on the ma terial the weight of the skep is taken off the chain, the weight of the skep itself thus slightly pushing up the slide G, and thus the catches H H are, by the weights P P, thrown out of engagement with the bar G. The rod F Will, when disengaged from the device I, rest on the head of the stud Q, on which it works up anddown, and thus the levers P P will be free to act to disengage the catches H whenever the skep touches the material to he grabbed. The skep thus being free to be closed, the chain is hauled upon and fills the skep.

I When the skep is closed, the catch-head F will be drawn down close to the frame of the skep. The skep, with its load, is-then swung to the desired place of discharge, when the skep-chain is further hauled upon, and the catch-head F passes up through the ring N and toward the tumblers L. In thus passing up, and before the tumblers L are reached by the catchhead F, the frame WV of the skep will have reached the ring N and carried it up with it. Thus the tumblers L Lwill be relieved of the superpoise-weight- N, and will by their own and between the tumblers L L, which will,

' skep opens and discharges its contents.

when the head F has cleared them, again fall and take a horizontal position. The catch head F having cleared the tumblers L L, the haulingup of the skep is stopped and then lowered, and in lowering the catch-head F is held by the tumblers L L, and thus the open ing mechanism of the skep is suspended by the rod E, and the skep-frame lowers, and the As the skep-frame completes the opening,it brings the superpoise-levers P into contact with the wings E E of the bar E, and in so taking off the counterpoise-weight P P of the catches H I H they fall under the bar G, and so hold the bar G to the top of the frame of the skep, thus keeping open the skep on again lowering.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the barrel K and the chains I} Q J are used, so as to regulate the height of the discharging device above the wagon.

My invention allows of any ordinary crane (having a single chain) being used with a few simple additions.

Having now described the nature of my invention, I would state that I do not cla1m as new the excavator itself or its usual parts, nor the crane or its usual parts; but what I consider to be novel, and claim as my inventlon,

1. In self-acting excavators or skeps and their lifting and lowering apparatus, and which are worked by a single chain, the combinationof a discharging-frame, I, levers L, a weight, N, and a cross-head, F, with connecting-rod E and catches H, whereby the excavator or skep is automatically, caught, suspended, opened, and held open, and discharges its contents, and released, aslherein set forth.

2. In self-aoting excavators, the combination of the discharge-frame I, provided with tumblers L and weight N, chains J, rod E, and winding-barrel K, whereby the dischargeframe and the bucket are raised and lowered, substantially as described.

3. In self-acting excavators, the combination o fa chain, 0, bucket D, automatic catch G H, catch-frame I, and rod E, whereby the bucket is closed, and raised, and opened, and lowered by the manipulation of a single chain, 0, substantially as described.

4:. In self-acting excavators, the combination of a discharge-frame, I, weighted levers L, chain 0, rod E, provided with a head, F,

and cross-bar carried by the frame W of the bucket D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In self-acting excavators, the combination of a rod, E, provided with rings E, block G, carrying the stud Q, and the weighted 1evers H P, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In self-acting excavators, the combination of chain 0, skep D, and the catch-frame I, and rod E, said rod being brought in engagement when the chain 0 is raised, and being disengaged automatically whenit is subsequently raised still farther, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

THOMAS IVHITAKER.

. \Vitnesses:

A. V. DOOKERY, F. P. SHAOKLEFORD, Both of Leeds, in the County of York, England. 

